Lookout PM: Mountain residents' reaction to early morning tremor, Thursday afternoon power outage, and restaurants participating in April vegan chef challenge

Welcome to Thursday night’s Lookout PM.

Santa Cruz Mountains residents screamed, sheltered and froze when 4.6 magnitude earthquake jolted them awake

By Hillary Ojeda

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck near Boulder Creek early Thursday morning, jolting residents across Santa Cruz County awake and marking the region’s strongest temblor in more than three decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Despite widespread reports of shaking, noise and minor household damage, officials said there were no injuries or structural damage, as residents described fear and renewed urgency around earthquake preparedness.

Outage leaves more than 1,000 Santa Cruz city residents without power

By Max Chun

A power outage caused by a downed tree took out electricity for nearly 1,000 Santa Cruz city customers on Thursday afternoon.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

27 participating restaurants debut new vegan options for countywide April challenge

By Lily Belli

More than two dozen restaurants countywide are debuting new plant-based dishes as part of April’s inaugural Santa Cruz Vegan Chef Challenge. The event, organized by Vegan Outreach, aims to expand vegan options and encourage broader interest in plant-based eating, with a winning restaurant to be announced in May.

Santa Cruz candidates mostly unfazed at lack of Democratic Central Committee endorsements

By Max Chun

The Democratic Central Committee could not come to a consensus on which Santa Cruz City Council and mayoral candidates to endorse, so it will not endorse anyone ahead of the June 2 primary. However, many on the campaign trail say it doesn’t make a difference to them — and might even be a good thing.

Spring is here, but respiratory viruses haven’t gone away

By Patrick Cudahy

We saw higher-than-usual temperatures in March, but that doesn’t mean virus season is over in Santa Cruz County, writes Santa Cruz family medicine physician Patrick Cudahy. Viruses are still out there, he says, and while flu dominates in winter, COVID-19 strains tend to surge in warmer months. Since October, flu cases have caused 48 hospitalizations, compared to 22 for COVID-19 and 12 for RSV. Norovirus remains a concern, although local wastewater testing numbers remain low. Still, Cudahy warns, overlapping infections and shifting seasonal patterns can have serious consequences. He urges readers to wash hands, stay home when sick and get vaccinated.

Two Republicans are fighting for California governor. Why a tie is their best strategy

By Jeanne Kuang / CalMatters

Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco need to split the vote nearly evenly to lock Democrats out of the race for California governor. Their strategy? Attack each other relentlessly.

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